Joining the gym

Around November last year I joined a gym, and although I've been going a few times a week and have been doing pretty well for someone who usually just sits around thinking she's healthy because she didn't have a second breakfast this morning, it's only been in the past month or so that I've decided to really take my fitness seriously. 

So with my new found vigour for working out, I took myself shopping for some proper gym gear (any excuse, really). I bought a training bra from Primark and two large baggy tops to wear over the top so that I don't get all hot and flustered in more tight-fitted tops, a pair of jogging pants from Adidas, and two pairs of shorts for when I get to summer. I already had a few vest tops to wear, and my blue Converse ankle trainers, but felt like if I was going to start taking it seriously then I needed to look the part a bit more.

I've been loving going to the gym, especially if I've been having a stressful day as it just helps me to work it all out and feel calmer, as well as getting fitter and more toned for when it gets to summer. I can already feel my fitness improving (I ran for the bus the other day and didn't even get that out of breath), and I really enjoy knowing that I've done something productive with my evening, rather than sitting around watching tea-time quiz shows on TV like I normally do.

If you're looking for something to do to help you feel less like a couch potato and more like enthusiastic about exercise, I would highly recommend joining a gym! 

Bye for now,

Lexi

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Everyday makeup routine

My make-up routine changes a lot as I discover new products, try out new techniques and develop different tastes as time goes on. However as somebody with quite problematic skin (E.g., oily skin, tendency to go orange easily, spots and dark circles), I thought that giving you all an insight into what my routine is like at the moment might help a few of you with the same troubles as myself. All products I use are from the highstreet/drugstore, so being unable to afford the make-up I mention shouldn't be much of a problem for most of you.

For the bags under my eyes and any blemishes that need extra cover-up, I use the concealer from Witch in Natural. Then, using my Real Techniques face brush, I use the Revlon Colorstay 24hr foundation, and then I apply Stay Matte powder from Rimmel with a stippling brush to even out my skin tone and make sure I stay oil-free throughout the day.

For my eyes, I use an eye shadow palette (that I can't remember the name of) from MUA, and I use a light brown shade across my top lids, with a darker shade of brown (or a shimmering orangey-brown if I'm feeling adventurous) in the crease of my lid, around the curve of my eye and under my outer bottom lashes. I then use the lightest shade (usually a pale skin colour) to highlight under my brows and to brighten the inner corners of my eyes. After this I use the Extreme felt-tip liner from Collection to create a thick, but not too thick, line along the top of my lid. I make sure to follow the arch of my eyes in order to enhance the wideness of them, and then use mascara by Collection and The Body Shop's coconut lip balm to round it off as I don't feel my make-up looks complete without putting mascara and lip balm on.

Obviously the mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow palette and lip balm are interchangeable depending on your tastes, but I do think that the concealer, foundation and powder are the best for oily/combination skin types. I hope you found this helpful and/or interesting and that you take something away from it.

When it comes to blusher, bronzer and contouring I will forever be a Sleek girl. Their products are so affordable and pigmented that it's difficult to go wrong. I use their contouring kit in Light and use a random, unnamed blusher brush to sweep the dark powder under my cheekbones and the highlighter across the top, before pulling an super stupid smiley face in order to find the apples of my cheeks so I can apply the Rose Gold blusher. Now that it's Autumn and my tan has pretty much disappeared, I very rarely use bronzer as it makes me look like I've fake tanned my face and no where else (potentially very awkward for those who hang around with me).

If you use anything that you think would be better for my than the products I already use, please let me know down in the comments!

Bye for now

Lexi

x 

OOTD: 07.03.14

This is the outfit I wore yesterday whilst at uni. I teamed a white/light cream blouse with a pair of dark, bottle green skinny jeans turned up at the corners. The wind has been quite chilly today, so I layered it with my vintage denim jacket and tartan scarf, and due to the fact it was raining the morning I wore my black leather shoes with a thick heel (my mum calls them my 'Mr Noisy' shoes, cause I clack around in them on the wooden flooring in our house).

To accessorize I wore a golden thumb right on one hand, and another thick gold ring on the other, with my gold hooped earrings and black double-strap leather watch. I also used my absolutely massive black/grey/dark green leather bag to lug around all my folders and files with me all day.

I don't wear this outfit often, but when I do I feel totally comfortable as well as stylish (I'm never one to pick style over comfort), and I think the accessories really help to pull it all together and look like a properly planned, cool outfit.

Bye for now

Lexi

x

Fashion haul

Over the past few weeks I've been finding myself getting a little bored with my clothes, and as we're moving into spring a lot of the clothes I've been wearing through winter don't really feel right anymore. So this is a collection of clothes that I've bought to change up my wardrobe (I didn't buy these all in one go, they've been bought over the course of a few shopping trips).

saw these 'treggings' in the above right picture in a Lily Pebbles video and loved them so much that I thought I might as well get my own. Because they're part-legging part-trousers, they're comfortable whilst still feeling smart, and I think they can be worn with anything, from a band t-shirt to a floaty white blouse.
I've also spent ages looking for a loose-fitting stripey black and white t-shirt to wear over leggings or tuck into my black skater skirt for when I no longer need to wrap up in woolly jumpers and scarves, so when I saw this in H&M I thought I might as well go for it. Although H&M stuff isn't the best quality, it is still really cheap for what you can get and I love to shop for my basics there.

These two jumpers are from Primark, and I bought them after seeing a random post on Tumblr about how baggy jumpers can make an instantly cute outfit with minimal effort. They're great to combine with leggings, ballet pumps and chunky necklace, and I can't wait for the warmer weather when I don't have to wear a coat and can just use these to keep me warm when I leave the house.

I'm not sure why I didn't take a better photo of this, maybe I was just trying to be artistic, but I absolutely adore my new leather jacket with a fur collar. It's wonderful for when I don't need a thick coat; just something lighter for when it's a bit windy. I got it in the sale, which meant it was only £10(!), and I can't wait to wear it with a floral dress and some Converse shoes or chunky shoes to give it an 'edgy' look.

I bought these on a whim when I was heading towards the tills in Primark. I've been looking for some more 'special' slip-on shoes to help spruce boring outfits up a little, as I just feel that maybe when I'm wearing all black, or have gone for a more monochrome style one day, the gold links across the toes will help give it a bit of a twist.

Bye for now,

Lexi

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